CUTTING 101: PRE-WORKOUT, FAT BURNERS, AND HEALTH

We have all seen the commercials and ads for fat burning and pre-workout supplements. But, do you really need these things to get leaner? The supplement companies will tell you that you must spend your hard-earned money on their products. How could you ever lift weights without putting a bunch of chemicals you can’t pronounce into your body 30 minutes before?

PRE-WORKOUT!!!!!!!

I have tried a few of the bigger brand pre-workout supplements in my younger days. Notice how I said “tried” and not that I still use them. Most of them did give me a pretty good energy boost. Do you know why? If you said they had caffeine in them you are today’s big winner!

Most of these supplements will containe creatine which is a great strength and power building supplement. You will typically find B vitamins, amino acids, and possibly some minerals as well. People who take pre-workout always talk about the pump or the muscle hardness they feel. This is due to L-arginine or AAKG (Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate).

However, if you look at the ingredients closely you will see a lot more than the good stuff. Some might have the magic words proprietary blend on them. That is code word for a bunch of garbage that you don’t need my friend. Who knows what the long term side effects are?

A BETTER AND HEALTHIER PREWORKOUT

You could waste your money on pre-workout supplements that range from $30 to $50 a bottle. Or you could use that money on high quality food.

Considering that the must important ingredient in pre-workout is caffeine why not just drink coffee? I made that switch a few years ago and don’t regret it. Coffee gives you a boatload of antioxidants and is a healthy beverage as long as you don’t add garbage to it. If you don’t like coffee that is cool. You can buy caffeine pills to get you going. I was not always a coffee drinker. I took caffeine pills for years before my heaviest lifting sessions. The energy was great.

What about the pump? If your heart is set on it take some AAKG with your coffee. You will be energized and ready to train hard.

The muscle and fitness world will have you convinced you need a good fat burner to get lean. The problem is most of these pills contain a lot of questionable ingredients. Most of them are caffeine pills with a bunch of extra stuff that may or may not harm your health in the long term. All I can say is do your research and read the ingredients before ingesting. Don’t fall for the ads with that really ripped guy or gal on it.

NATURAL FAT BURNERS

Caffeine, Green Tea Extract, and Cayenne Pepper are a few healthy fat burners. You could drink coffee and/or green tea. I recommend both daily. You could use Cayenne Pepper to season your chicken or vegetables. It will add some kick to your food while melting away some fat.

Water is usually the forgotten aspect of fat loss. You need to drink enough water to stay hydrated and fight off hunger cravings.

BETTER YOUR HEALTH AND LOSE FAT THE NATURAL WAY

For the past two months I have been experimenting with Intermittent Fasting. I can honestly say it is the simplest thing I have ever done to lose weight. You can read about how to ease into Intermittent Fasting here.

A typical day for me starts around 5 am. I wake up and drink some water mixed with lemon, Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, and apple cider vinegar. I do this because it kickstarts my metabolism, cleans out my system, and provides electrolytes for the coming workout. The I down some Iced Coffee. Then I do my daily workout whether it be cardio or weights. I break my fast around 11 am and consume 3-4 meals until 7 pm. Also, I make sure to drink some green tea during the day.

This type of effortless effort has gone a long way to shed body fat without pumping my body full of chemicals.